Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar launch mega sales: fly to Europe from $1641 return

Australia's big three airlines have kicked off a fierce fare war, dropping tens of thousands of discounted seats across international, regional and domestic networks.

From Virgin dropping early bird Europe rates with stacked Velocity point bonuses, to Jetstar bringing back its legendary "return for free" sale across Asia, and Qantas slashing Northern Territory routes to sub-$250 full-service prices, here are the absolute standout bargains you can book right now.

Virgin is offering early bird Europe fares starting from a doable $1641 return for an economy flight from Perth to Barcelona.

Sydney to Barcelona returns start from $1797 or nab Melbourne to Barcelona returns from $1916.

If Paris is more your style, return tickets from Sydney start at $1869 or from Brisbane from $1799.

Virgin is also offering return flights from Brisbane to London from $1930.

All routes fly via Doha.

Even better, if you're collecting Velocity points, eligible returns earn up to 24,000 bonus points.

Book by Friday, October 30, for travel on selected dates between January 17 and March 14, and April 17 and June 8, 2027. The Velocity bonus points are granted for eligible travel between January 17 and October 31, 2027.

Jetstar is running its popular return for free promotion across 14,000 seats to east Asia. Buying an outbound leg gets you the flight home for $0.

This means you could lock in return flights from Sydney to Osaka (Kansai) in Japan from $569. A Cairns to Tokyo (Narita) in Japan return will start from $479.

Or fly return from Brisbane to Seoul (Incheon) in South Korea from $469.

Book by Friday, October 9, for travel between May and July 2027. The flights are starter fares, including a carry-on underseat bag only, and checked luggage is extra.

Qantas has dropped more than 42,000 discounted seats spanning 26 routes across the Top End and Red Centre.

Unlike budget carriers, Qantas fares include checked luggage, food, drinks and inflight entertainment, making sub-$250 fares exceptional value for domestic long-haul routes.

You could snap up an Adelaide to Alice Springs one-way fare from $199. One-way seats from Adelaide, Sydney or Cairns to Uluru or Darwin start at $229,

Brisbane or Sydney to Alice Springs flights start at $239 one-way. Or fly from Melbourne, Perth, Sydney or Brisbane to Darwin from $249 one-way.

Book by Thursday, October 8, for travel until June 2027.